


Every Sun Rises Again

by ddolica



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Domestic Bliss, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-08
Updated: 2013-12-08
Packaged: 2018-01-03 23:32:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1074347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddolica/pseuds/ddolica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is something magical about Nico’s smile. It still doesn’t appear often, but if you're lucky you can catch it--during conversations, while he's playing video games on the living room floor, humming to himself while cooking, and especially when Jason is smiling right back at him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Every Sun Rises Again

**Author's Note:**

> taking a break from metamorphoses until finals are over because you wouldnt believe how much research it requires (laughs/sobs). please enjoy this jasico fluff dump based off the goddesses of the times of day and inspired by my undying love for this ship. probably really ooc but i might be too far gone to care.

song rec: defeater - i dont mind

excerpt:  _lets talk that sun into setting / just need the sound of your voice. / need that calming and the comfort, / something to drown out the noise._

link: [ [x](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ5ka2iPPHQ) ]

  
**Auge (** **Αυγή** **), first light of the morning**

Jason tends to wake with the sun, maybe because of his lifelong training under the Roman Legion, maybe because he can’t find any logical reason to waste a single minute of the precious day. This morning as the fingers of dawn stretch out to brush open his eyes, he gazes through lids still heavy with sleep at the figure beside him, whose black hair is fanned out against the white pillowcases and whose lips are parted as though in the middle of a word.

The grey light leeches all color from the room, like an old photograph, and the peace of a world still unconscious makes Jason feel like he’s in some separate universe, some Other place where everything, at least for this moment, is perfect.

He reaches over to touch Nico’s face, his own complexion pale and ghostly against his partner’s olive skin. When Jason fits his palm against Nico’s cheek, he nuzzles into him immediately and makes a soft noise.

Or maybe this is why.

 

  
**Anatole (** **Ανατολή** **), sunrise**

When the sun finally rises, Jason reaches out all his limbs in an exaggerated stretch, yawns deeply, but as soon as he begins shuffling off the bed Nico’s hand reaches to the waistband of his pajama pants and keeps him in place.

“Oh good morning,” Jason says with a smile, turning to face his friend. “Shh go back to sleep, ghost king.”

“Mmn mm,” Nico says softly, shaking his head and stifling a yawn of his own. He tugs at Jason’s waistband, and Jason tries for less than a moment to pull away, but then Nico pulls himself up on one elbow, his hair falling into his dark eyes, and the blanket falling off his shoulder, and then Jason is falling back into bed as their lips and hands and fingers fall into place.

 

  
**Musica (** **Μουσική** **), the morning hour of music and study**

“I can’t believe I’m dating such a hipster,” Nico ruffles his hand through Jason’s hair as he passes the desk where Jason is hunched over his textbooks, finishing up some homework he probably should have done three days ago.

“Mumford and Sons is beyond mainstream, Nico,” Jason reaches out and grabs his boyfriend’s wrist, pulling him closer.

Nico sticks out his tongue. “Even worse.”

“Well sorry not all of us can be awesome prodigal video game designers who get full orchestras to add soundtracks to anything we want,” Jason pulls him straight into his lap, where Nico lands with a harrumph.

“That’s not true, I tried to get a piece called, ‘Killing That Douchebag the Manticore’ so I can listen to it on my iPod the next time I fight him,” Nico talked with his hands, punching out as an example of what this fight might entail. “But they turned me down because it wasn’t ‘relevant to the game.’”

“What bullshit,” Jason said, leaning in for a kiss.

“I know!” 

Behind them, on the laptop, the song switches, so that Rihanna’s voice is warbling out of the speakers.

Immediately, Nico throws his hands up, “Nope!” And hops off Jason’s lap, leaving the blonde boy with his lips still parted for a kiss and his eyes full of comic disappointment.

Nico just continues glaring and shaking his head until he disappears into the next room, shouting, “What do you want for breakfast?”

 

**Gymnastika, (Γυμναστίκή), the morning hour of exercise**

Jason meets Percy at the stop sign where they begin their daily run.

“Hey, kid,” Percy slaps him on the back and grins. “Ready for another beautiful morning of getting your ass whooped?”

“You wish,” Jason immediately goes into some stretches, letting his muscles loosen.

They start slow, but pick up pace after the first mile, “You got any plans for today?” Percy asks.

“Nah, s’the first day neither of us has had work for like a month, so we’re gonna lay low I think,” Jason says. “Why, vying for a double date?”

“Nope, Annabeth’s actually been out of town, she’s at some conference for super genius architects or something. Trying to figure out what to do before she gets home. I’ll probably end up cleaning the house and cooking something before she gets back tonight.”

“Dude you are literally a housewife,” Jason chides.

Percy shrugs, which is hard while running, “Ain’t no shame.”

“Do you get all prettied up when she gets home too, wear an apron and some lipstick?”

Percy runs ahead, turns backwards so they’re facing each other, and just winks. “Don’t forget the heels.”

“TMI!” Jason shouts, and Percy just laughs before turning back around and racing forward, so that Jason has to sprint to keep up. Percy has more stamina, but Jason has endurance, and by the time they’ve circled back round to the stop sign, he’s a few yards ahead, his arms above his head as he shouts, “Grace, victorious yet again!”

Percy is next to him, out of breath, and he says, “I let you win. Felt bad cause you’re so whipped.”

“You have to stop being so cocky,” Jason reminds him.

In response, Percy just says, “Yeah that’s what Annabeth’s gonna say tonight, too,” and winks again and nods, and Jason is saying, “Cuz, you have issues,” but he’s laughing just the same.

 

  
**Nymphe (** **Νυμφή** **), the morning hour of bathing and washing**

When Jason gets back from his run, he immediately goes to the shower, but it’s already occupied.

This doesn’t stop him.

“Hey!” Nico says indignantly, his hands scrubbing Head and Shoulders into his hair. “Can’t a guy bathe in peace?”

“Nah,” Jason grabs for the shampoo himself and “We’re saving water. Percy always gives me shit about being more eco-friendly.”

“Screw the environment,” Nico mumbles.

“You already shaved?” Jason asks.

“Obviously,” Nico says, making a face. He can’t get around Jason to the water to rinse his hair, so he just moves onto a bar of soap.

Jason pouts a little, “But I bet you’d look so hot with a beard.” He reaches out and grabs either side of his boyfriend’s head, strokes backwards through his hair, so his hands are full of suds.

“What?” Nico raises an eyebrow just as Jason softly slaps both hands onto his cheeks, smearing the bubbles around and crafting a fine soap-beard.

“You disgust me,” Nico says when Jason is finished. “I’m going to get you back you for this.”

But the sight of Nico’s angry face covered in suds is so funny Jason can’t help but laugh so hard he has to grab his stomach as he says, “How’s that?”

Nico growls and immediately pushes him against the shower wall, “I’m gonna wash your mouth out with soap!”

Jason tries to wrestle against him but he’s too busy laughing. Nico doesn’t reach for the soap, though, instead he just puts his face close to Jason’s, dark eyes narrowed. He turns his head, offering the side of his face, “Lick it!”

“No! You can’t make me!” Jason shouts back between giggles. Tough, grown man, giggles, of course.

“Lick it you stupid bastard!” Nico yells, and when Jason doesn’t, he just presses his lips to Jason’s and shakes his head, covering the older boy’s mouth in suds. Jason manages to keep his cool long enough to keep his mouth closed, so Nico loosens his grip enough to start tickling at Jason’s sides.

When the blonde is laughing again, he goes back at it, pressing his soapy cheek against Jason’s mouth until he’s coughing and saying, “Ew, ew oh god! You villain!” And he melts into the bathtub dramatically, and stays there laughing while Nico finishes rinsing off and leaves with a flourish of the curtain.   

 

  
**Mesembria (** **Μεσημβρία** **), noon**

At the grocery store, Nico is throwing far too many boxes of pasta into the cart.

“Are you sure we can eat all this?” Jason asks, trailing after.

“They’re non-perishable,” Nico tries.

“We have limited space in our cupboards.”

“We’ll give some away.”

“As gifts?”

“Sure, Christmas is coming up, right?”

“You can’t give dry pasta as a gift,” Jason sighs.

“I’m only good at two things, Jason, cooking, and raising the dead, and nobody wants a pet zombie for Christmas,” Nico throws a box of spaghetti in too. 

 

  
**Sponde (** **Σπονδή** **),** **libations poured after lunch**

At a café near downtown, they get coffee.

“What are you thinking about?” Nico asks over the dark pool of his double espresso.

Jason looks down at his own drink, a milky froth of coffee-flavoured sugar, and says, “Leo would probably like a pet zombie, actually.”

Nico just laughs.

 

**Elete, prayer, the first of the afternoon work hours**

There is something magical about Nico’s smile. It still doesn’t appear often, but luckily he has become more open about his own happiness.

It used to be like a unicorn, something that precious and rumored, and whenever anyone saw it they caught their breath and gawked until Nico was so uncomfortable he ceased smiling.

But now it came freely, during conversations, while he was playing his games, humming to himself while cooking, and especially when Jason was smiling right back at him.

But every once in a while, Nico would slip, and fall back into his habit of darkness. It happened most often after he got back from visiting his father in the Underworld, or when he was around the others and they started recalling stories of the battles and Nico started thinking about where he was during those times. In Tartarus. Trapped inside a jar. Isolating himself emotionally from the group like a living ghost.

And Jason pulls him aside and reminds him that the past is the past for a reason and look at here and now it's safe, they're all okay and sometimes his consolations don't work, but sometimes he can shake Nico out of it before it gets bad and he’ll crack a smile on those chapped pink lips and it’ll be okay, at least for another while.

And then there are days like today, where things seem too good to be true. Jason reaches over and grabs Nico’s hand, letting the warmth ground him.

Nico looks over, and there it is, that little smirk, so soft and perfect.

Jason sends up a silent prayer to any god who’ll listen that he can always be with this boy, always be next to him and capable of protecting his smile.

 

  
**Akte (** **Ακτή** **), eating and pleasure, the second of the afternoon work hours**

“Why do you _always_ have homework?” Nico sighs as he puts a plate of food next to Jason’s laptop.

“Probably because I’m in college,” Jason replies helpfully.

“You’re so focused.”

“I try to be.”

“You could use a distraction.”

“I don’t know about that,” Jason says, but Nico’s hands are already reaching around him, undoing the buttons of his shirt from behind.

Jason swivels in his chair to say something smart and admonishing, probably, but Nico takes it as an invitation and straddles Jason’s lap, wedging his knees between Jason’s legs and the armrests of the chair.

“Are you trying to seduce me, sir?” Jason asks.

“Nope,” Nico replies, as he takes off his own shirt and continues working on Jason’s buttons.

“What _are_ you doing?”

“Depends. What are you studying for right now?” Nico asks as he starts sucking at the skin under Jason’s jaw.

“Calculus,” Jason lets his hands wander so he’s gripping Nico’s ass.

“ _Oh_ , um,” Nico pauses, thinking, “God I was hoping you’d say anatomy or something.”

“You’re going to let me integrate your natural log?” Jason offers.

“Sure, yeah, that,” Nico shrugs, and goes back to remove Jason’s clothing.

As soon as Jason starts getting into it, Nico cries out, “Fuck, this hurts so much!” and pulls his legs out of the chair, stumbling backwards. His pants are unzipped and he’s rubbing at his knees and Jason comes up beside him and grabs him behind the thighs and shoulders, bridal-carrying him to the couch.

Jason is on top of his boyfriend, nibbling at his ear and reaching down his chest to his tented boxers.

“Looks like you’re already harder than a complex polynomial with four possible solutions,” Jason says into his ear.

“I love when you talk derivative,” Nico whimpers.

Jason looks up, “Do you know what that means?”

“Shh, no, I’m barely in pre-calc, but it sounds pretty sexy, right?” Nico wraps his legs around Jason’s hips and pulls him closer.

“I’ve made a monster out of you,” Jason shakes his head and nudges his nose against Nico’s.

“I’ve always been some kind of monster,” Nico says and lifts his lips into a rough kiss.

 

  
**Hesperis (** **Έσπερίς** **), evening**

Nico is sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch playing the PS4 and swearing a little too loud considering how close their neighbors live.

“Does it ever get boring?” Jason asks as he climbs over Nico onto the couch.

“What?”

“Games,” Jason says, “I mean, don’t they ever feel like just the same thing over and over again?”

“Hmm,” Nico leans back into Jason’s legs. “I guess sometimes? But then I’m just inspired. If this bores me, how can I make it more interesting? What haven’t I seen yet?”

“Huh,” Jason says thoughtfully, reaching out to rub Nico’s shoulders.

“And it’s also nice to have objectives, you know?” Nico continues, “You don’t have to make blind guesses, or gauge reactions, and you can always go back to the last save point and fix all the mistakes you made.”

“Do you wish life was more like a video game?” Jason starts to work his thumbs up and down Nico’s neck now.

“Ah,” he took in a sharp breath, “Oh god yeah right there. Ah, no I mean it’s nice to take a break from real life but I wouldn’t want to trade it. I spent eighty years playing out lives without consequences. It’s kind of nice to know that things can be broken, even if they’re me. Pain means things matter.”

Jason leans forward and wraps his arms around Nico’s chest, buries his face in Nico’s neck.

 

  
**Dysis (** **Δύσις** **), sunset**

“We should do something soon,” Jason says.

“What do you mean?” Nico flips the channel to Syfy, where Dead Like Me is playing reruns.

Jason’s feet are in Nico’s lap, and he wiggles his toes. “You know, go somewhere, have a quest where the prophecy is like, ‘ _Two dudes’ adventure, really swell / Prince of the earth, gay as hell / Spawn of the sky, the handsome fool / Nobody dies, it’s just um, really cool.’_ ”

“Please don’t try to write prophecies,” Nico shakes his head, “You are hopeless. And anyways we can pretty much go wherever you want.” Nico wiggles his fingers mysteriously and says, “I've got these rad teleporty powers remember.”

“Ooh yeah or we could fly,” Jason beams. 

Nico looks worried at the very prospect, “Or we could just stay here on the ground.”

Nico yawns, and his blinks are getting heavier and heavier, so Jason says, “Come on, you got up like six hours earlier than normal today, we should call it a night.”

Nico gains back enough energy to look indignant, “Excuse _me,_ mom. I didn’t realize you called my bedtime.” His words are harsh but his voice is too sleepy to be anything but utterly adorable.

Jason turns off the TV, stands, and Nico lets him pull him up and lead him down the hall like a child.

 

  
**Arktos (** **Άρκτος** **), night sky**

Before bed, Jason always closes the curtains in their bedroom so the sun doesn’t wake Nico up while Jason gets ready for school.

He has a psychology 201 class at eight, and it takes about an hour to get to the college with traffic, so it’s a good thing he’s already used to waking up at the crack of dawn.

“Are you coming to bed or what?” Nico whines from where he’s snuggled under the comforter.

“Yeah,” Jason laughs, but not before he glances out at the night sky, where the stars are waking up just as he gets ready to sleep. Always, one thing begins just as another ends. Day begets night. Life begets death. Battles beget peace. And the cycle begins again just so, like the snake eating its own tail, like the tide crashing onto the shore only to be sucked right back out to sea. 

While Jason climbs under the covers beside Nico and sidles next to him, holding his cheek and looking into his dark eyes, he thinks. Maybe today was an island of peace in an ocean of unrest, but that’s okay. Because they’ll find this feeling again. And again and again. Every time it fades away they’ll chase after it, because every sun rises again. 


End file.
